94-Year-Old Kicked Out Of Retirement Home Right Before The Holidays

A 94-year-old woman has reportedly been asked to leave the retirement home where she lives just before Christmas and told that if she doesn’t leave, she will be brought to a hospital.

According to reports, Marie Sparrow was told by an employee that the Mississauga retirement home where she currently lives is “not a suitable location for you to get the care required for you to flourish.”

“I could take it if I was a small younger, but I’m 94,” Sparrow. “Instead of going someplace else and finding to know individuals once more, I’d like to stay here.”

Staff at Amica at Erin Mills reportedly sent a letter to the woman summarizing a meeting between them and Maria Silver, a friend who holds Sparrow’s power of attorney.

ADVERTISEMENT

Thanks for watching!

“Ms. Silva was advised in the meeting that an acceptable transition plan had to be in place by Friday, December 12th,” the letter reportedly reads. “If this did not happen, we would consider alternative measures which include sending you to Credit Valley Hospital.”

Kieran Hess, operations manager at Amica, told The Star that the letter contained some “poorly chosen words” and that the information given to Sparrow wasn’t addressed entirely accurately.

“We don’t have the right to evict someone in five days, and we wouldn’t do that,” Hess said, according to The Star. “There’s probably some degree of misinterpretation there. There are only certain types of care that we are equipped and staffed to manage. And beyond that it often becomes a danger to a specific resident … Generally, when we feel like we can’t meet those needs, we begin a dialogue with the resident, the resident’s family or their power of attorney to come to an appropriate transition.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Thanks for watching!

ADVERTISEMENT

Thanks for watching!

Sparrow has agreed to move out and is currently figuring out her plans to transition to another facility, but with Christmas approaching, many don’t think the eviction is fair.

“They didn’t want her anymore, but her condition has not changed,” Maria Silva, Sparrow’s friend, said, noting that the pressure to leave began after Sparrow was hospitalized back in November. “There’s no reason why she has to leave. She pays for her own care; the residence doesn’t have any extra responsibilities. I felt pushed. They told me they’d call the police to take her to the hospital because she doesn’t belong here.”

Sparrow, who has outlived her husband, sons, grandson and niece, says she feels worse for the people who have to move her out of the home around the holidays than she does for herself.

“The worst thing is that it’s Christmas time. I’ve upset other people’s Christmases,” said Sparrow. “I’m sure these people would rather be with their families. I feel bad about that.”

Hess maintains that they are handling the situation and says, “The worst thing that can happen for us is for people to leave unhappy.”